Ketsueki No Mai
The Ketsueki no Mai, meaning Dance of Blood, is a fighting style founded by the vampire race. Its most prominent users are the heiresses to the throne, Sachi Urami and Kyashi Urami. History The Ketsueki no Mai was invented at the time of when the aggression of human expansion was strongest amongst the world. Like the other races, the vampires had begun to feel the sting of the unwanted colonization on their land, particularly in the land of Atrus, where confrontations with the humans were often nearing the peak of violence. Had it not been for the help of desperate negotiation, the two sides would've erupted into war. However, even this did not stop the tension between the two races to increase to dangerous levels. In the depths of the underground, a rebellious movement began to take place. Tired of the constant aggression of their landscape, an Atrusian vampire by the name of Kane Rosewood was the first to create and execute this technique properly. Gathering his own pupils under his cause, he taught the fighting style to many, which in turn prompted these pupils to inform other vampires of Kane's teachings, and so on. This caused the technique of the Ketsueki no Mai to spread like a good plague, and in a few years, almost all of the Atrusian vampires knew of how to use it properly. After heavy memorization of enemy movements, construction of militia, and practice of battle plans strategically, Kane decided it was time to begin the attack. With several of his closest followers leading seperate divisions among the continent, the vampiric army, known as the "Cruor quod Calx", launched a ferocious assault on the human colonies in the form of guerilla warfare. Unprepared and undefended, the humans suffered millions of casualties immediately, while at the same time struggling to put up a good resistance. Even when human armies were fully constructed, the initial leverage that the Cruor quod Calx had on them was too great to be overwhelmed, and the opposition was eliminated quickly. The humans in Atrus were now in danger of extinction, while the vampires reveled in their demise. However, the Cruor quod Calx could only gain 50% of the continent, before the humans managed to put up more of a fight against them. Having caught on to the vampires' strategies and tactics, they found ways to counter them, from ways to quicker long-ranged weaponry, to staying in heavy groups in order to strengthen defense. The last battle between the Atrusian vampires and humans resulted in a stalemate, with neither gaining the advantage before a cease-fire was issued. In it, the humans offered not to push into any more vampiric territory, as long as the vampires didn't attack any more colonies. KNowing it would be no more use to push further, Kane agreed, and a truce was struck, this time one that would ensure more peace than previous negotiations had. The only thing that didn't stop was the spread of the Ketsueki no Mai, which came to other vampiric countries. Like a popular religion, it was widely accepted throughout regions everywhere, passing itself from generation to generation. Kane himself began very popular among the races as its founder, both hated and respected among many people. By spreading the fighting style to many, he ensured that the vampiric reign among their territory would be secured for many years to come, without the interference of human expansion. Abilities The Ketsueki no Mai style specializes in combining the use of magic with the style of regular hand-to-hand combat. Initially, when Kane created the technique, it was only designed for close quarters. It involved the manipulation of the vampire's own blood into weapons which outclassed any regular human weapon at the time. (In Progress)